Cilfton hurts hamstring; return is doubtful

With Bryan Bulaga (sprained and bruised knee) already not in uniform at right tackle for the Packers, Green Bay couldn’t afford to lose any other starting offensive lineman. But with the Packers already down two touchdowns midway through the second quarter, left tackle Chad Clifton hurt his hamstring and his return to the game is doubtful.

Clifton appeared to get his feet tangled with left guard T.J. Lang while the two were blocking Atlanta defenders. Clifton’s leg appeared to buckle slightly after he contacted Lang, and he immediately fell to the turf. He had to be helped off the field by Green Bay trainers, and he was carted off to the locker room.

Without Clifton, Marshall Newhouse -- who had replaced Bulaga at right tackle -- moved to left tackle, and rookie Derek Sherrod, who had been working out as the backup left guard, took Newhouse’s place on the line.

Although Aaron Rodgers connected with Greg Jennings on a 39-yard pass to the Atlanta 4-yard line, Rodgers was sacked twice and Green Bay had to settle for a field goal. Considering the Falcons only had accumulated five sacks entering the game -- which ranked worse than everybody but the Bills -- that’s not a good sign for the rest of this contest.

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